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AT-20 Scorpion Tank
The AT-20 Scorpion Tank''' 'or Scorpion Mk. II is Nod's anti-armor tank used by the Offense Doctrine during the Ascension Conflict. Background Introduced in 2075, the Scorpion Mk. II is the successor of Marcion's own design, which dominated the Brotherhood's arsenals during the Third Tiberium War. Originally meant to inspire fear, the original tank was created at the behest of Kane, who inspired the Black Hand leader to create a terrifying weapon, complimenting the arsenal of Nod as an MBT. The end result was not quite as successful - the tank was often relegated as a support vehicle, rather than a vanguard, consistently misused by Nod commanders as a blunt hammer, rather than a precise scalpel. Inspired by Brother Gideon's critique of Kane and his treatises, Talia Creigh, the principal designer of the new tank, took the above quote to heart and overhauled the design—emphasizing its iconic battlefield role and giving Nod a proper supporting combat tank: a vehicle they were lacking, as an analysis of the operational doctrine proved. The private unveiling of the new tank was followed by shock from the audience, something Brother Gideon summarised: Profile Background While Marcion's rule proved to be short lived, his impact on Nod's dogma and subsequent military doctrine was significant. Marcion turned the Black Hand from being the Brotherhood's most trusted, most fearsome fighting force - Kane's own Fedaykin - to being its priesthood. While Kane was fostering only his own myth, Marcion was building a well organized religion - at first against Kane and later for him. As a result, Nod's battlefield doctrine shifted from terrifying their enemies through acts of extreme violence to a more psychological approach, inspiring fear through visual cues and psychological warfare. In his later writings, Brother Marcion attributed Kane with the original direction for many of the designs he later commissioned. "You need to learn from your history, Brother. If you want to instill fear, to inspire it in the hearts of your adversaries, you should follow the example of the Samurai. Demons of the battlefield. It was their appearance that froze their enemies in their tracks." "The Samurai Mask, Marcion. A work of art. The masks were meant to inspire terror, to transform their wearers into demons.", Kane, as quoted in the scriptures of Marcion. Following Kane's teaching, Marcion's Black Hand began development on the first Scorpion Tank. This was to be Nod's Main Battle Tank during the Third Tiberium War. However, more often than not, the Scorpion's role in that war was relegated to support of other forces, rarely being the main or the advance force in successful actions. In 2072 Gideon wrote one of his longest treatises on Kane's abandonment of the Brotherhood. The principal designer of the Scorpion Mk. II, Talia Creigh - having been following Gideon's writings and speeches for a long time - took to heart a passage he dedicated to the failure of the Scorpion Tank. "What should have been Nod's most iconic battlefield asset, proved to be just a cockroach for GDI to crush. Kane's generals misused the Scorpion tank to swarm superior firepower. But I do not blame them. How can I, when it was Kane himself who ordered the tank to be a mockery of its name, more Cockroach than Scorpion?" Commander Creigh, having learned the lessons of TW-III, decided the Scorpion needed an overhaul of both its form and function. The Commander made made a point of having the new Scorpion’s design emphasize its intended iconic battlefield role; the very embodiment of Nod's ominous presence throughout the world’s warzones. Talia studied the role of the Scorpion within the greater operational doctrine of Nod's forces and decided that more than needing a MBT, Nod's strategy required a strong supporting presence for their less than conventional mobile and infantry forces. After several years of development, the private unveiling of the new Scorpion Mk II was followed by shock from the audience. A welcome reaction. Following this, Gideon released a statement through unofficial channels; "The Children of Nod are rising, finally they understand. The treacherous will not escape the grasp of Nod's claws, or the whip of it's tail." Battlefield Specifications The Scorpion's Sting The Scorpion Mk. II is equipped with state-of-the-art laser technology, derived from the previous generation’s Spitfire Capacitors. Using the power output of its Liquid Tiberium generator, the Scorpion wields a miniaturized Obelisk of Light, which, despite its smaller size, is fully capable of slicing through even Crawler armor. The weapon is not without tradeoffs however, as the Scorpion’s standard anti-tank cannon was dropped because of the immense power consumption of the Obelisk. Pincer Tactics Taking Gideon’s passage to heart, the Scorpion Tank evokes the visage of a true scorpion, giant grasping claws included. These claws are more than just aesthetic as they are designed for actual use in grappling prey. Scorpion Tanks can hold medium vehicles in place by grasping them in their claws and firing a short-range electromagnetic current to disable the vehicle as the tail laser eats away at them. Lighter units can actually be picked up completely by the claws, making for a terrifying sight as infantry are grabbed and dragged off kicking and screaming into the darkness. Burrow The reintroduction of burrowing has allowed for more interesting tactics to be developed in the TCN era, without the need for power-hungry stealth generators. The Scorpion can use its pincers to quickly burrow underground and can resurface amongst enemy troops. Frequent observed tactics include surrounding Mastodons and unburrowing to avoid the deadly artillery volley or unburrowing amidst an infantry platoon and kidnapping valuable prisoners for interrogation. Overview Resembling an encroached scorpion, the Scorpion Mk. II no longer carries an anti-armor cannon—rather, its primary feature is a large weaponized "tail" protruding from its back resembling a miniature Obelisk of Light, which carries a state-of-the-art laser cannon derived from previous generation Spitfire laser capacitors—though with an output several times more powerful due to the liquid Tiberium generator powering it. The secondary weapon of the AT-20 are its claws—which can be used by the operator to grab vehicles, and immobilize them using a built-in electromagnetic current generator—disabling the victim whilst allowing the tail laser to rip it apart with ease. Lighter units including infantry can be picked up with the claws and carried off. Scorpion pilots have also been noted to enjoy grabbing GDI's female soldiers, such as the Zone Defender or Zone Raider, and reportedly rewarded Scorpion pilots whom accomplished such a feat with an (unofficial) medal. The reintegration of Nod's vehicle burrowing technology on the AT-20 has revived the possibility for more interesting ambush tactics among Nod commanders. The Scorpion can use its pincers to quickly burrow underground and resurface amongst enemy troops—causing chaos as the Scorpions quickly melt expensive heavy units to slag. In-game The Scorpion is very dangerous in large numbers. Their powerful tail lasers are relatively effective against medium aircraft and vehicles and will tear through the heavy armor of units like the Mastodon easily. Its ability to burrow also makes it very useful for ambushing undefended Crawlers, which may otherwise be safe from attack. The Scorpion's greatest weakness (that it shares with all laser units) is that it cannot fire while on the move. The Scorpion also has a unique achievement, called ''Hey Girl, which is gained from Scorpion pilots grappling a female unit (such as a Zone Raider). Gallery Nod_Vehicle_-_Scorpion_Tank_0.jpg CC4_scorpion.png CC4_scorpion_bluetib.png CNC4_Scorpion_Tank_Concept.jpg Category:Command & Conquer Category:Nod Tank Category:The Brotherhood of Nod Category:Tank